NCLR Challenges Distortions made
about Minority Communities

16 Oct 2008

Washington, DC—Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La
Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy
organization in the United States, expressed grave concern about the atmosphere
of attacks and distortions on cable television and other media that have focused
negative attention on low-income and minority communities.

Pundits and others
have blamed these groups for the financial crisis and accused them of subverting
the political process. Murguía noted that these attacks, broadly aimed at
low-income communities and communities of color, encourage division and discord
at a time when Americans should be coming together to address our nation’s
concerns.

Since January, NCLR has shined the spotlight on organizations and media outlets
that demonize immigrants and minorities. Through its website,
www.WeCanStopTheHate.org, NCLR has documented the proliferation of hate groups
and the extent to which they appear as “experts” in the media on issues like
immigration.

“We will not stand by while outright distortions dominate the airwaves,” said
Murguía. “These falsehoods foster fear of minority communities and attempt to
scapegoat them for our nation’s financial crisis and other problems.”

Murguía noted that for several weeks, pundits and others have made outrageous
arguments that mortgage loans to minorities pursuant to the Community
Reinvestment Act caused the financial crisis. Since then, respected economists
have refuted this claim convincingly.

Recently, the Social Contract Press, an organization with well-documented ties
to white supremacists and a long history of publishing white supremacist works,
released a study alleging that large numbers of immigrants have improperly
registered to vote. Attorney generals from several states have looked into this
claim and found no truth to the allegation.

This was followed by other accusations of fraudulent voter registrations with a
focus on The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).
“ACORN’s long history of helping low-income and minority Americans lift their
voices and participate in our democracy is worthy of respect,” Murguía said.

”It is a sad day when some try to taint the intentions of a new generation of
eligible voters at a time when there is an unprecedented level of enthusiasm for
the political process,” she added. “Everyone who is eligible to vote should
register and participate in this historic election. We cannot tolerate voter
suppression and intimidation.”

Immigration

Useful Tips on Technology for Individuals interested in Immigration

By
Atty. Bruce A. Coane

First, you might explore the website for the United States
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). At this website, you
can find out the law regarding many topics. Not only are there
articles on many topics but there is also the law itself.
nRead more